The new season of the Women's Super League is fast approaching, and there have been many changes in the league throughout the summer.
Some of the top managers in the division, including Emma Hayes and Carla Ward, have left their positions at Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively at the end of the 2023/24 season. They were just two clubs looking for a new manager this summer, along with Leicester City and Brighton.
The new season is over a month away, and every team now has a manager working for them. As the pre-season ramps up, 90 min he has looked at English top flight managers, young and old.
Meet the 12 WSL managers for the 2024/25 season…
The Swedish coach, Jonas Eidevall, is the current manager of Arsenal, and has been in charge since 2021. Before his arrival in North London three years ago, he coached in his hometown with FC Rosengard, Helsingborgs IF as an assistant, and Lunds BK.
So far she has guided the Gunners to two FA Women's Continental League titles, as well as three top four finishes in the league. In October last year, he signed a new three-year contract with the club, which took him to 2026.
Aston Villa have been on the hunt for a new manager this summer after former manager Carla Ward opted to step down at the end of last season to take a break from football. They finished seventh in the table last term, winning seven games from 22 games.
At the end of June, the West Midlands club presented Robert de Pauw as Ward's replacement at German club Bayer Leverkusen. The Dutch coach signed a three-year contract with an option for another year.
De Pauw has been a popular player for Villa due to his coaching experience at both club and international level. Before Leverkusen, he managed FC Twente, and led them to the Vrouwen Eredivisie and the Eredivisie Cup double in 2022. He has also worked with the Dutch FA as a youth coach, meaning he has a track record of developing young talent.
In July, Brighton confirmed the appointment of Dario Vidosic as the new first team coach on a contract until 2027. The 37-year-old joins the Seagulls from A-League side Melbourne City, where he has been since 2022.
Vidosic is a former player, born in Yugoslavia, but represented Australia having moved to this country from Croatia in 1988. Brisbane Roar, Adelaide United, Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne City are some of the clubs he represented during his playing career.
For the first time in over a decade, Chelsea needed to appoint a new manager this summer after the departure of Emma Hayes. After winning a fifth straight league title in May, Hayes left the west London club for a new challenge with the USWNT.
Sonia Bompastor was confirmed as her successor soon after, the French coach having joined Division 1 Feminine champions Lyon. He signed a four-year contract when he arrived, and was accompanied by his assistant Camille Abily, who also moved to Chelsea.
Laura Kaminski has been in charge of Crystal Palace since July last year, and guided them to the Championship title and promotion in her first season. He joined the Eagles from his position as Charlton Athletic assistant, but has an impressive coaching career spanning 15 years.
Kaminski spent time at Tottenham Hotspur as an assistant coach and helped them gain promotion to the WSL in 2019. He has held coaching roles at Arsenal, Brighton, Watford, QPR and Chelsea.
Everton manager Brian Sorensen is now one of the longest serving managers in the WSL following a number of changes to the league this summer. He moved to Merseyside in 2022 from Danish side Fortuna Hjorring.
He signed a two-year contract ahead of the 2022/23 season, replacing manager Chris Roberts, who had been in charge since the sacking of Jean-Luc Vasseur. Sorensen has had a good spell at Everton so far, and was awarded a two-year contract extension in April this year.
Last month, Leicester City announced the appointment of Amandine Miquel as their new manager on a three-year contract. He joined from French side Stade de Reims, where he spent seven successful years.
In the 2023/24 season, Miquel guided his team to a fourth place finish in Division 1 Feminine. His arrival at Belvoir Drive ended an extensive recruitment process at the club, with the 40-year-old considered a good fit due to his track record of developing talent and maximizing opportunities.
For the second time in his career, Matt Beard is the head coach of Liverpool. The 46-year-old guided the Reds to back-to-back WSL titles in 2013 and 2014 before moving to the United States in 2016.
In 2018, he returned to England and took charge of West Ham, followed by a brief spell at Bristol City in 2021. That same year, he rejoined Liverpool and guided them to Championship glory and secured promotion back to the WSL. in his first season back.
Gareth Taylor is a Wales international who retired from playing in 2011. He soon took on a coaching role at Manchester City's academy, and was later promoted to head coach of the club's women's team in 2020.
In all of his four years in charge so far, he has won one Continental League trophy in 2022, and his team was an FA Cup finalist in the same year. In the WSL, City finished second behind Chelsea twice under Taylor's leadership.
Marc Skinner, 41, has been in charge of Manchester United since 2021, having previously coached Birmingham City and Orlando Pride. He became the second Red Devil coach as he took over from Casey Stoney, who was heading to the NWSL with the San Diego Wave.
Last season, he guided United to their first piece of major silverware as they won the FA Cup ahead of Tottenham in the final in May. Soon after, he signed a one-year contract, with an option for another year.
Tottenham manager Robert Vilahamn is new to the WSL, having only joined the club last summer, but has had an impressive first season in charge of the club. The Lilywhites finished eighth in the WSL, but reached the FA Cup final last term.
Before moving to north London, Vilahamn had only coached in his native Sweden. Appointed assistant coach at BK Hacken in 2020, he was promoted to head coach in the 2022/23 campaign.
Rehanne Skinner was appointed West Ham head coach last summer, replacing Paul Konchesky in the dugout. The 44-year-old player boasts of his extensive work in the women's game, as he has coached at club and international levels.
He has worked with both the Welsh and English Football Associations, and was head coach at Tottenham from 2020-2023. Last season, the Hammers finished 11th in the table, but nine points adrift.
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